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A couple with two children now need to earn £36,800 a year to have a "socially acceptable" standard of living, an anti-poverty charity says.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation said its annual minimum income study suggests families must earn a third more than in 2008, to live within social norms.

But the report has been dismissed as "mostly rubbish" by the head of think tank the Adam Smith Institute (ASI).

The government said it was committed to helping the UK's "most vulnerable".

The minimum income standard (MIS) study - commissioned by the charity from the social policy research unit at Loughborough University - suggests a rising number of UK people live below what the public believes is an acceptable standard of living.

This MIS standard includes earning enough to eat a balanced diet, run a car and heat the home.

Researchers questioned 21 focus groups made up of working families, pensioners and single people of working age on a range of incomes.

A couple with two children were said to need to earn a minimum of £18,400 a year each before tax; single people £16,400 a year, while the figure for lone parent with one child is £23,900 and a pensioner couple £12,000 each.

The study said families are being hit hard by a "dangerous cocktail" of rising costs and cuts in three main areas:

"If you ask a silly question you get a silly answer and I think this is a very silly answer.

"The idea that one needs a laptop, a DVD player, a microwave, a blender and a roof rack on your car and so on, and indeed a car in the first place when most of us live in cities and public transport has not actually changed very much in the last five years are very strange answers."

Dr Butler added that the study risks arousing people's expectations around welfare payments when "most of the public (75%) think benefits are too high".

But the study was defended by its co-author Donald Hirsch, who said the research was "significant" and "hugely robust".

"In terms of reliability... we have held over 100 groups over a period. Each group is checking back on what other groups say.

"It is not just one person at the ASI's opinion, it is groups of people coming to agreement... and then confirming it with subsequent groups," he added.

The government said it was forced to make "tough choices to repair the country's finances".

A spokesperson added: "It is vital that we give young children the best start in life and that is why we are rolling out free early education, backed by more than £1bn, to help children and their parents.

"We recognise that child care costs are an issue and that is why the prime minister launched a commission into this matter which will report back in the autumn.

"We are also introducing Universal Credit from 2013, which will simplify the system and ensure that work pays."

Comments

Comment number 588.

PatBenatar10th July 2012 - 15:33

"Money does not equal happiness, though it can open open opportunities for happiness, but not happiness itself."

Living comfortably within one's means is great no matter how much you earn, but sharp shifts in income can lead to serious problems which people are quite rightly not that optimistic about, like getting evicted.

Comment number 542.

MB10th July 2012 - 14:14

I live in London, so an income of £36,728 is not enough to rent a 1 bed flat, pay full time child care costs (£70 a day, with £10 per min penalties if you're late), bills & eat a healthy diet. My pay covers childcare & I'm not on a low income. My partner pays the rest with his salary & we only have 1 child. This generalisation doesn't take into account the differences in regional living costs.

Comment number 539.

ThoughtCrime10th July 2012 - 14:14

I quit working full time a few years back, having cut most of the fat out of the household budget and now get by on about £1200/month for myself and my wife. It means not going to the pub every other night, but I've never been happier. Stress levels are almost zero, and I can go out and enjoy the great outdoors (for free) as often as I want. Cut some luxuries and set yourselves free.

Comment number 486.

Andy10th July 2012 - 12:57

Why is everyone concerned about whether or not £x is enough to get by on? It depends completely on your circumstances. (and I don't mean Sky TV). I mean your mortgage based on the price of a house when you bought it. (Or did you inherit yours?) How much you spend on fuel going to work. Price changes due to demographics. Child maintenance. Disposable income would be a more useful figure to debate.

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